I. History and Development
Nursing education at Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) has a heritage spanning more than a century. The School of Nursing was officially established in 1998, building upon the former Department of Nursing of Medical School of Sun Yat-sen University and its affiliated Health School. Our earliest predecessor dates back to 1913, when then Guangzhou Boji hospital founded one the the first advanced nursing vocational schools in China. In 1925, the Nursing School of the Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University opened, further laying the foundation for modern nursing education in South China. Since 1985, SYSU has been a pioneer in launching higher nursing education in the region. Over the decades, the School has grown into a leading institution dedicated to preparing highly skilled nursing professionals who now serve across China and contribute significantly to the development of the profession.

II. Faculty
The School is home to a dynamic and accomplished faculty team composed of full-time academic staff and clinical instructors from ten affiliated hospitals. There are 91 nursing faculty members in total, including 78 supervisors for postgraduate students and 14 supervisors for doctoral students. Our faculty includes experts recognized nationally and internationally for their contributions to nursing science and education. Among the 18 full-time faculty members, all of them hold doctoral degrees, including 7 professors and 11 associate professors. Several teachers have received high-level honors:
● 2 elected Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing,
● 2 listed as Elsevier Highly Cited Chinese Scholars in Nursing,
● 3 named SYSU Teaching Masters,
● 2 selected for the “Rising Scholar” positions under the SYSU Yat-sen Scholars Program,
● 4 selected for the Guangdong Association for Science and Technology Young Talent Program.

III. Teaching Resources and Facilities
The School offers a comprehensive teaching and research structure covering fundamental, medical, surgical, obstetric, gynecologic, and pediatric nursing. Our Nursing Skills Training Center School features advanced simulation facilities and model-based learning systems, creating a modern, integrated, and technology-enhanced environment that supports hands-on training and clinical competence development. Students benefit from extensive clinical training opportunities at SYSU-affiliated hospitals, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, and two community health centers. The School also shares SYSU’s strong foundational teaching resources in medicine and public health.The School currently offers four national first-class undergraduate courses, five provincial first-class undergraduate courses, five university-level first-class undergraduate courses, and one national top-quality postgraduate course for graduate students in medicine and pharmacy (one of only ten nationwide). 

IV. Discipline Development
Since launching its undergraduate nursing program in 1985, the School has expanded to offer master’s (2000) and doctoral (2004) degrees, becoming one of the earliest institutions in China to provide a full ladder of nursing education. In 2005, the undergraduate nursing program was recognized as a Brand Major of Higher Education Institutions in Guangdong Province. In 2010, it was selected by the Ministry of Education as part of the sixth cohort of National Characteristic Undergraduate Specialty Construction Programs. In 2011, Nursing was approved as a first-level discipline with the right to confer doctoral degrees, and in the same year the professional Master of Nursing program was launched. In 2012, Nursing was designated a key discipline of Guangdong Province. In 2019, it was approved as a national first-class undergraduate major construction site. In 2020, the undergraduate nursing program passed the Ministry of Education’s accreditation for undergraduate nursing programs with the highest result, obtaining an 8-year accreditation period.
In international rankings, the nursing discipline at SYSU has consistently achieved top positions among institutions in Mainland China. In 2020, the nursing discipline took the lead by entering the global top 75 in ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (Nursing), ranking No. 1 among institutions on the Chinese mainland. In 2023, it was ranked 45th worldwide in the same ranking, placing 3rd on the Chinese mainland. In 2021, the nursing discipline was first listed in the QS World University Rankings by Subject (Nursing), in the 101–150 band globally. In both the 2021 and 2022 QS subject rankings for Nursing, it ranked 3rd among institutions on the Chinese mainland. In the 2025 QS World University Rankings by Subject (Nursing), it was ranked within the global top 100.

V. Talent Cultivation
Drawing on decades of educational practice, the School of Nursing has integrated the strengths of both Chinese and Western educational traditions while adhering to the principles of modern higher education. It has continually interpreted and refined its undergraduate nursing education philosophy of “solid foundation and strong clinical competence.” The School has persistently advanced educational and teaching reforms, gradually forming its own distinctive educational philosophy and characteristics. The School places particular emphasis on building students’ professional skills and fostering their capacity for innovation.
Students have performed consistently well in major national competitions. In November 2015, four undergraduate students from the School participated in the First National Clinical Skills Competition for Undergraduate Nursing Students, organized by the Nursing Education Branch of the Chinese Association of Higher Medical Education, and won Second Prize. A team of three master’s students from the Class of 2017 won Third Prize in the 5th China Postgraduate Smart City Technology and Creative Design Competition, becoming the only creative-design team from Sun Yat-sen University to advance to the finals and receive an award. In April 2019, three undergraduate students took part in the National Invitational Contest on Comprehensive Clinical Skills for Undergraduate Nursing Students, organized by the Teaching Steering Committee for Nursing of Higher Education Institutions under the Ministry of Education, and won First Prize (the highest award). In April 2021, four undergraduate students competed in the Central–South China division of the 10th National Medical Skills Competition for University Students (Nursing Track), organized by the Ministry of Education, and won Second Prize. In January 2025, postgraduate students from the School participated in the 2nd Guangdong University Students Health Literacy Knowledge and Skills Competition and were awarded First Prize. The School’s postgraduate programs attract a large pool of applicants, with an application-to-admission ratio that ranks among the highest in the university and a high proportion of outstanding students admitted.
Graduates of the School have long been highly regarded by employers. They are active in major medical institutions and nursing schools across the country, engaged in clinical nursing and nursing education, and have become key members of their organizations, contributing significantly to the strong reputation of the School. Notably, alumni Huasun Zhong and Shouzhen Cheng were awarded the 39th and 48th Florence Nightingale Medals, respectively.

VI. Scientific Research
Building on the distinctive strengths of the nursing discipline, the School’s faculty have broadened their research horizons and actively pursed competitive research funding. Both the number of funded projects and the total amount of research grants have increased steadily year by year. Over the past five years, faculty members have secured 70 research projects at various levels, with total funding exceeding 8.6 million RMB. These include 26 national-level projects, including 22 projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, one by the National Social Science Foundation of China, and three supported by the Ministry of Education Humanities and Social Sciences Research Planning Fund. In addition, faculty members have undertaken 13 national- and provincial-level teaching research projects.
Over the past five years, faculty members, as first authors or corresponding authors, have published 247 high-level papers in English and 140 high-level papers in Chinese. They have compiled 30 textbooks and monographs, serving as chief editors for 9 and  associate editors for 8 of them. The faculty have received one Science and Technology Award of the Chinese Nursing Association, one Science and Technology Award of the Chinese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine, one Guangdong Medical Science and Technology Award, one Science and Technology Award of the Guangdong Nursing Association, and one Science and Technology Award of the Guangdong Association of Rehabilitation Medicine. One paper was selected among the “Top 100 Excellent Papers in Chinese Nursing,” and two papers were recognized as Excellent Science and Technology Papers by the Chinese Nursing Association. In terms of teaching achievement, the School has received one Second Prize at the provincial level, as well as four First Prizes and two Second Prizes at the university level.
In March 2016, the School jointly established the “Global Alliance for Chronic Care” Research Center with the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (USA), the School of Nursing of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and the Faculty of Health of the University of Technology Sydney. In 2021, the School took the lead in establishing the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao University Nursing Alliance, which aims to jointly cultivate young research talents and promote interdisciplinary research collaboration, thereby providing a high-level academic platform for talent training in nursing.

VII. Service to Society
To meet the needs of a large number of in-service nurses in Guangdong Province seeking to upgrade their academic qualifications, the School has, since 1983, developed a variety of degree programs, including evening degree programs, self-directed higher education examination programs, distance education, graduate-level course programs, and part-time professional master’s degree programs. Nearly 30,000 graduates have been trained through these programs. In 2001, the Sun Yat-sen University School of Enterostomal Therapy was established as the first institution in China to provide standardized training for specialist nurses in enterostomal therapy. Its completion certificates are recognized by the World Council of Enterostomal Therapists. The school has organized 25 training courses, training 623 enterostomal therapists for hospitals at all levels across the country. In 2015, the School launched the first systematic and standardized training-of-trainers program in China for oncology nurse case managers, cultivating a cohort of faculty in oncology case management. In 2017, it initiated the country’s first training programs for urological specialist nurses and dysphagia specialist nurses, making a significant contribution to the development of specialist nurse training in China.
The School of Nursing is one of the designated open units for the “Guangzhou Science Popularization Tour (Self-guided Tour).” Since 2014, its annual project, “Guangzhou Science Popularization Tour – Public Training Program on First Aid Knowledge and Skills”, has been funded annually and has become one of the most popular programs in Guangzhou’s “National Science Popularization Day” events. Through this initiative, the School has effectively fulfilled its mission of drawing on its strengths in nursing, advancing scientific research, and using research outcomes to serve society.

VIII. International Exchange and Cooperation
The School has established close collaborative relationships with schools of nursing in the United States, Australia, Sweden, Thailand, Singapore, Nepal, Hong Kong, Macao and other countries and regions. Each year, outstanding undergraduate students are selected to participate in short-term exchange programs in the United States, Sweden, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Macao. Excellent master’s students undertake short-term study visits in Sweden, Nepal and Hong Kong, while doctoral students are sponsored to pursue six- to twelve-month visiting programs at institutions such as Oregon Health & Science University, Johns Hopkins University and New York University in the United States. Partner institutions in these countries and regions also send their students to the School for exchange and study. Through extensive and longstanding international cooperation and exchange, the School has gradually brought its nursing education into alignment with that of leading universities worldwide.
In line with Sun Yat-sen University’s overarching goal of building a world-class university, all faculty and staff of the School of Nursing will continue to uphold a strong sense of mission and unwavering determination. Rooted in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao region, serving the whole country and maintain a global vision, the School is committed to enhancing the quality of talent cultivation, steadily advancing its research capacities and social impact, and striving to develop nursing at Sun Yat-sen University into a top discipline in China with growing international prominence.

The central pattern of the school emblem is a stylized letter “N”, resembling a budding seedling and standing for “Nursing”. The seedling extends to form a stylized “H”, representing “Health”, symbolizing that health is the fundamental goal and ultimate mission of the nursing and health-care profession.